Safe Haven
by cuz-CM's-awesome
Summary: Valentine's Day is approaching fast, Reid has headache pain that just won't go away and Garcia has made it her duty to help him. What will happen in the end? Not the best summary I know…


**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds and I am in no way making any profit off of this story. **

**Summary: This story is for Dustytiger for the Valentine's Day Gift Fic Assignments on Chit Chat on Author's Corner. My prompts were: Feels Like Home to Me (Kreviasuk); "Happy Bunny" gift, candy (like skittles, m&ms, or gummy bears) sorted so only the red ones (bonus points for the recipient finding the other colors) and an eatable meal made by Reid. **

**Please R&R **

**Hope you enjoy :) **

…

Reid sat at one end of the lunch table in the lunch room, while Prentiss, Garcia and J.J. sat at the other end.

They had just gotten back from a case the day before and luckily for them nothing new had come in yet.

Reid wasn't really hungry but he didn't want to get back to work just yet. He had a constant headache and nothing that he did or took seemed to help. He had been putting it off but he knew if his headache pain continued like it was, he was going to have to go to the doctor to get it checked out.

So Reid sat at the lunch table, picking at his food. He occasionally caught what the girls at the other end of the table were saying.

…

Prentiss leaned back in her chair and stretched "So do you guys have any plans for Valentine's Day?"

J.J. smiled, "Will has planned for us to go out to a fancy restaurant downtown and my mom has promised to watch Henry for us."

"Aw that sounds nice" Garcia said with a grin.

Prentiss nodded her head in agreement and then looked over at Garcia "What about you?"

Garcia shook her head "Well now that Kevin is out of the picture, I think I'll just have a peaceful night at home."

Prentiss looked disappointed "But that's no fun, you should come with me. I'm going to go out clubbing with some girlfriends from college. It will be a lot of fun and I just know that my friends will love you."

Garcia laughed "That's sweet of you Em but I really would rather stay in. I've had enough of the 'romance' Valentine's Day is supposed to bring. I just want to have a relaxing evening."

Prentiss didn't look convinced but Morgan showed up before she could protest.

"Hotch needs us in the conference room" Morgan said before making his way out of the lunch room.

Garcia glanced at Reid as she left, she was worried about him. He had been acting strangely for the last few days.

…

It was four days later. The case that the team had been called in on had ended very quickly. It had been in Virginia so they didn't have to take the jet to get there and the unsub hadn't been the brightest crayon in the box. He had been caught trying to buy over the counter meds with a fake prescription.

It was late on a Friday evening. Garcia had just finished up some paperwork and was getting ready to head out.

As she passed the bullpen on her way to the elevators she noticed that there was a light on. Garcia stopped in her tracks; she had thought everyone had gone home except her. She wondered if one of the team had accidently left their light on and decided to go check. She made her way towards where the light was coming from.

Garcia stopped when she was a couple of steps away from Reid's desk.

They young genius was sitting in his chair, with his head in his hands on his desk.

Garcia looked worriedly at him for a moment before she decided to announce she was there "Hey Boy Genius" she said softly.

Reid's head snapped up and then he winced.

"Sorry," Garcia apologized "I didn't mean to startle you; I just thought you had left already."

Reid shook his head "Uh no…but I was just about to."

Garcia didn't believe him "Are you okay Reid? You haven't been yourself in the last few weeks."

Reid frowned "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Reid," Garcia scolded him "I might not be a profiler but even I can tell that there is something bothering you."

Reid sighed "I…it's nothing really. I just have a headache and nothing I've tried has helped."

Garcia studied him for a moment "You know, my grandmother taught me this natural remedy that can relieve any headache. You should come to my place and I'll show you, maybe it will get rid of your headache."

Reid rubbed his eyes "I don't know…I don't believe in natural remedies."

Garcia rolled her eyes "Come on Reid, how could you know if you've never tried it before. It could work."

Reid stared at her for a moment "I just don't think it will work."

Garcia shrugged "Well if you change your mind, feel free to come by. I'm heading home now and I probably won't get to bed until around midnight."

Reid seemed to be thinking it over as Garcia left. She had barely gotten to the entrance of the bullpen when Reid called her back "I guess I could give it a try…I mean you never know right?"

"Right" Garcia confirmed.

"Would you mind waiting for me?" Reid asked "I didn't drive to work today and I just need to pack up."

"Sure" Garcia said, waiting for him to get his things together.

…

Once Garcia and Reid had gotten to her apartment Garcia told him to take a seat on the couch. Then she hurried to the bathroom and came back with some scented candles. "Are you allergic to anything or sensitive to any aromas?"

Reid looked at her with a shake of his head "No I don't believe so."

"Okay good" Garcia said as she placed the candles on the coffee table and lit them "These are sandalwood wood scented aromatherapy candles, they've done studies that approve their effectiveness for headache pain. Now just lie down and close your eyes, I'll be back in a minute."

Reid looked reluctant but did what she asked.

Garcia walked into her kitchen, got a bowl and then she filled it up with warm water. She took the bowl to her bathroom and found her eucalyptus scented essential oil. She placed four drops of the oil into the bowl of warm water before dipping a wash cloth into it.

She brought the bowl and the washcloth out to Reid.

She sat on the edge of the couch and rang out the warm washcloth. Finally she placed it on Reid's forehead. He flinched for a second but Garcia told him calmly to relax and he did.

With that Garcia stood up and dimmed the lights in the room and then she made her way to the kitchen to make herself something to eat.

After Garcia had finished her dinner it was around eleven and she was thinking about heading to bed. She washed her dishes in the sink and after went to check on Reid.

She smiled to herself when she realized he had fallen asleep.

Not wanting to wake him, since Garcia had a feeling that he hadn't slept in a while, she gently took the cloth from his head, covered him up with a blanket and blew out the candles.

She left the light in the kitchen on so that Reid could see if he got up during the night, then after checking to make sure he had everything that he needed, Garcia went to bed.

…

Reid opened his eyes reluctantly, he didn't remember falling asleep but he was glad he did; he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in a long time.

Reid sat up, stretching the muscles in his back. He looked around Garcia's living room; by the soft light shining through the window Reid guessed it was early morning. He couldn't believe he had fallen asleep on Garcia's couch, he hoped he wasn't a bother to her.

Reid stood up; he needed to go to the bathroom. He had been to Garcia's place before so he found the bathroom easily. When he had finished and walked back out into the living room he was surprised to see Garcia up; he didn't picture her as a morning person. She was folding the blanket that had been on him when he woke up.

She looked over at him when she realized he was there and smiled "Morning Reid, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah" Reid said softly "That aroma stuff actually helped my headache, thank you."

"Oh it was no problem" Garcia said "I'm glad it helped."

Reid nervously glanced at his feet "I'm sorry I fell asleep, I hope I wasn't a bother."

Garcia's eyes widened "Nonsense," she said sincerely "you weren't a bother at all. I just had some dinner and went to bed."

"I really appreciated it, I've been having trouble sleeping and that was the best sleep I've gotten in a long time."

Garcia smiled "Well I'm happy it helped, in fact feel free to come over whenever you need some headache relief, I like having you around Reid. Now let's get some breakfast, you must be starved, you didn't have any dinner last night."

Reid blushed slightly, now that Garcia mentioned it he was a bit hungry but he didn't want to impose on her any longer, it was the weekend after all.

"You don't have to go to the trouble of making me breakfast, I'm fine with going home first" Reid said.

Garcia shook her head "Honestly Reid it's not a problem, I was about to make breakfast for myself anyways and it would be nice to have some company."

"Oh…okay" Reid said.

Garcia grinned "This way to the kitchen."

…

Reid had gone home after breakfast on Saturday. Garcia had told him again before he left that he was welcome anytime. He had been in a great mood the rest of the weekend and hadn't had a headache since Friday night.

When the team got to the office on Monday morning they had a case waiting for them. They had to fly to Florida where the authorities believed they had an angel of death who was going around killing sick children in hospitals there.

The case was very stressful, as most cases that had children involved were, and Reid was starting to get a headache by the early afternoon on the first day.

He was sitting at a desk in the local police station making a geographical profile when his phone stated vibrating.

"Reid" he said flipping his phone up.

"Hey Sweetness" he heard on the other end.

"Garcia?" Reid asked slightly surprised.

"Yep, I've just finished with my search on nurses who have been fired in the last year from hospitals in the area. There's only five, I'm forwarding the list to you now" Garcia explained.

"Oh thanks Garcia…" Reid began "um don't you usually call Morgan with this information."

"Yeah," Garcia said "but I decided to call you today, I wanted to see how you were doing."

Reid smiled slightly; it was a nice feeling to know that Garcia cared about him. "I'm fine," he said "it's a stressful case but we'll get through it, we always do."

"That's the right attitude" Garcia said and Reid could tell by her voice that she was smiling.

"Thanks Garcia" Reid said ending the call.

For the rest of the day he was just a little bit more optimistic.

…

It took the team the whole week to catch the unsub and they didn't get back to BAU headquarters until late Friday night.

Reid's headache was back full force and he just wanted to get home so he could get some rest.

As he made his way out of the bullpen and to the elevators, after he had said goodnight to everyone, Reid literally ran into Garcia as she was coming out of her office.

She smiled at him "Sorry about that; I'm glad you guys are back, I was just coming to see if you had any plans tonight?"

Reid tried to smile back but he was in too much pain to do so and it looked more like a grimace.

Garcia looked at him worriedly and Reid felt bad, every day of the case Garcia had called him just to check how he was doing, it was really sweet of her and he didn't want to worry her but he just wanted to get home.

Reid tensed slightly as he felt Garcia place a hand on his cheek "You've got another headache huh?" Garcia asked.

Reid nodded, the tension leaving his body as he began to take comfort in the gesture.

"Why don't you come back over to my place tonight?" Garcia asked as she removed her hand "I'm sure if the aromatherapy worked last time it will work this time too."

"I…" Reid began, he didn't want to impose again but he really did need something for his headache and he knew Garcia wouldn't have offered if she didn't actually want him to come "I'd like that, if you're sure you wouldn't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind," Garcia said "Let me just get my stuff and we can leave."

…

The next few weeks went pretty much the same. Whenever the team got back from a case Reid would head over to Garcia's place, where he would use the aromatherapy candles and then fall asleep there. It got to the point where Reid was there almost every day when he wasn't on a case; Reid barely saw his own home anymore.

At first he felt kind of bad for burdening Garcia with his presence but he soon came to realized that Garcia liked having him there as much as he liked being there. Unlike the first time, now when Reid came by they would have dinner together and talk and in the mornings they would have breakfast together. They really spent all their free time together.

When Reid did go back to his apartment one night because Garcia had a doctor's appointment that day, he felt really out of place in his own home. It was lonely without Garcia by his side and he missed her presence.

…

It was two days before Valentine's Day, which fell on a Friday, and Reid was walking to work. He was almost to the BAU when a store display caught his eye.

In the window there was a Happy Bunny t-shit that read 'Just tell me I'm awesome and move along.' Reid stared at it for a while, it reminded him of Garcia and he smiled. He was pretty sure she would like it.

For the last week he had been debating whether he should get her something for Valentine's Day, he knew they weren't technically dating but it was starting to seem that way. He did after all spend all his time with her and he had been wondering for a while if they should take it to the next level.

However he didn't have the nerve to ask her, he was really starting to like her as more than just a friend or a colleague but he had no idea how she felt about him, or how she would receive him.

But he guessed that if he did decide to tell her how he felt than Valentine's Day would be as good a day as any, he did after all remember her telling Emily and J.J. that she didn't have any plans for Valentine's, and so he walked into the store and bought the t-shirt.

…

Finally Friday arrived; Reid left work early and made his way to Garcia's apartment. He had decided he would cook her dinner to start of the night.

In the past few weeks Garcia had shown him where she kept her spare key, so he didn't have any trouble getting onto her apartment. He hadn't really understood why she had shown him where it was but he guessed she was just showing him how much she trusted him.

Reid hoped she wouldn't be mad that he hadn't told her he was coming first, but what would the surprise in that be?

Reid spent an hour making chicken penne with alfredo sauce and salad on the side. He put two plates out and then poured two glasses of white wine, one that he knew Garcia enjoyed.

Then he sat down and waited.

He was starting to worry; Garcia should have been home by then. He worried that she had changed her mind and had decided to go out after all. How silly would he look if Garcia never even showed up?

Just as the idea popped into his head he heard keys in the lock and quickly stood up from his seat. He straightened the crease in his jacket and looked over the gift he had got for Garcia just to make sure everything looked alright.

Then Garcia walked through the door and let out a little shriek when she saw him.

He smiled at her nervously "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

Garcia seemed to do a double take before she put down her bags "It's okay…you just startled me that's all," she said, looking at the dinner set out for them "What is all this?"

"I uh…" Reid began trying to get his words in order "I hope you don't mind. I remembered when you said you weren't doing anything for Valentine's Day and I thought I would do something nice to…thank you for the last few weeks."

Garcia smiled brightly "Oh Reid, this is wonderful, thank you."

Reid blushed "I um…also got you this" he said holding out the present for her.

Garcia came closer to him and she took the gift; she excitedly unwrapped it and grinned brightly when she saw the Happy Bunny shirt. "It's awesome Reid!" she said looking up at him as she pulled it out of the box "I love it."

Reid grinned back at her, he was about to explain to her that he got it because it reminded him of her but was cut off when she brushed her lips against his in a gentle kiss.

Reid was surprised at first but soon he happily leaned down and pulled her in closer, kissing her more deeply.

When they pulled away from each other they both smiled and laughed.

"I've been waiting to do that for the past few weeks," Garcia said "I was just worried you wouldn't take it well."

Reid shook his head with a laugh "Same here."

…

After they had finished their dinner they both sat on the couch listening to the radio. Garcia picked through a bag of skittles he had bought for her the day before, looking for only the red colored ones. She told him that it was something she always did on Valentine's Day and that she thought it was bad luck to eat the other colored ones. Reid smiled at that as he sat with Garcia wrapped in his arms, he didn't really believe in luck but if it made Garcia happy he had no problem picking through skittles with her.

And so they sat comfortably, picking through skittles and chatting about their days together.

As Garcia was telling him about why she was late getting home form work because Hotch needed her to finish some extra paper work, the song 'Feels Like Home' came on the radio and Reid was hit with this feeling.

Like he was home.

It had nothing to do with Garcia's apartment but with Garcia herself.

Being with her was 'home' to him, his safe haven, a place where he could feel truly at ease.


End file.
